Veteran Journalist Kicked Out of Colorado GOP Assembly After Party Chairman Complained About Coverage
Sandra Fish, a veteran reporter for the Colorado Sun, was removed from the Colorado Republican Party’s assembly over the weekend because the party’s chairman was upset with her “very unfair” coverage of him.
The extraordinary move to bar a local reporter from a major political event was widely panned by critics. Matt Sebastian, the managing editor of the Denver Post reacted to the incident writing, “Shameful behavior by the @cologop and the @PuebloCountySO. I’ve known and/or worked with @fishnette for nearly 30 years and she’s a fair, respected and highly ethical journalist.”
Fish, who has been a political reporter since the 1980s, was removed by a Pueblo Country Sherriff who told the journalist that despite clearly having a press pass around her neck, she was not invited to the event. Republicans at the assembly voted to choose candidates for the upcoming June primaries in what is an annual and highly reported on political event in the state.
The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition also slammed the move by the Colorado GOP, saying, “Booting a credentialed journalist from a political party assembly, especially one who represents a statewide news organization like the @ColoradoSun, undermines the vital role of the free press and directly impacts thousands of Coloradans who rely on The Sun for coverage.”
The Colorado Republican state party chair, Dave Williams, is running for the U.S. House of Representatives from Coloroda’s fifth district and has courted controversy both as a candidate and as state party chairman.
The Trump-endorsed Williams has garnered headlines like this one in ColoradoPolitics.com, “FEC complaint alleges Colorado GOP illegally backed party chair Dave Williams’ congressional campaign,” over allegations he used party funds to help his candidacy for the House. Presumably, Williams having Fish ejected was related to her coverage of the topic and his tenure as party chairman.
The Guardian also noted that Williams has made headlines for “supporting conspiracy theories that Trump won the 2020 election, and he introduced a resolution in the state house in 2022 to thank a state representative and others who participated in the January 6 insurrection. He also tried to include the “let’s go Brandon” phrase as part of his name on the 2022 ballot.”
Williams’s antics in the state have also been denounced by his fellow Republicans. “Sandra Fish is a fair; honest and respected reporter. As a Republican I’m embarrassed by the GOP chair. As a State Senator I’m stunned by the blatant disregard for our Constitution – and by a former Legislator no less. Disgusting,” wrote Colorado State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer (R) on X, reacting to Fish being removed from the assembly.
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